Vivat St. Scholastica

History

The song lyrics were written by Sister Loretta Sheehan and selected in an all-school contest in 1931. To quote Sister Monica Laughlin from a 1999 Times article, the original melody had "a sort of march-y" feel to it." Around 1950, the melody was changed by Sister Wilfrid Jordan of the music faculty; this is the version we used until 2011. Gradually, the song fell from favor and was no longer sung. It was considered too sentimental, and during the sixties, it was regarded as too religious. The Dean's Council reinstated it in 1999, but it was only used for ceremonies - primarily Convocation, Commencement, and Reunion.

In 2011, a new arrangement of the song was created by Mina Kaiser in honor of the College's Centennial year. The launch of the new arrangement has been accompanied by the incorporation of Vivat St. Scholastica into more College activities. Be prepared to stand and sing the song at sporting events, meetings, and other activities.

(You can download this MP3 by right clicking the link and selecting "save link as" or "save target as.")

Music and LyricsThese materials can be saved and incorporated into event programs or used as handouts. Please contact Alumni Relations, alumni@css.edu or 723-6071, if you need anything other than what is provided here.